Ma Chao is not good at doing anything, and he is tying his troops in Guanzhong, which is no different from rebellion!
The first person to get the news was Yan Pu, the prefect of Hanzhong.
When Chen Cang fell, Ma Chao sent troops to guard Sanguan, blocking the connection between Hanzhong and Guanzhong.
After receiving the news, Yan Pu from Hanzhong immediately asked Meng Huo to lead an army of 20,000 to guard Yangping Pass!
The Ten Thousand Wudang Flying Army brought by Meng Huo was in the village of Dingjun Mountain.
Yan Pu's order to Meng Huo is very simple: If an enemy attacks, he will not defend himself!
When Zhang Lu was still in Hanzhong, Guo Jia's first battle to attack Yizhou was at Yangping Pass. The defeated battle situation in Hanzhong was still vivid in his mind. Yan Pu must not repeat the same mistakes. Hanzhong is the throat of Yizhou, and it also stockpiled the military supplies accumulated by the Taiping Army over the past decade.
Regardless of whether Ma Chao rebelled or not, whether he had the courage to go south to Yizhou, Yan Pu had to make the worst plan, so the military deployment was perfect.
On the other hand, Yan Pu ordered people to rush to convey the news of this shocking change back to Chengdu.
Outside Chang'an City
Ma Chao led the iron cavalry to the city, looking at the high bridge hanging on the moat, and looking at Xu Shu on the top of the city, Ma Chao raised a disdainful sneer.
"Xu Yuanzhi, I will only ask you once, will you surrender or fight?"
Facing Ma Chao's condescending attitude, Xu Shu disappeared at the top of the city. The gate of Chang'an City opened. Xu Shu rode out alone and confronted Ma Chaoyao across the moat.
The two of them had a close conversation, but it did not come to the ears of others. Although there was a river separated by each other, Ma Chao was still more than enough to kill Xu Shu. Ma Chao, who was extraordinary, was a good player in throwing javelins.
Zhen Yu also appeared on the head of Chang'an City and looked down. When he saw Xu Shu and Ma Chao talking, he seemed to be in a difficult negotiation.
An hour later, Xu Shu returned on his horse and ordered people to lower the suspension bridge, open the city gate, and welcome Ma Chao into the city.
The iron cavalry troops entered one after another, and the banners at the head of Chang'an City were replaced. On the flags fluttering in the wind, there was only a flying and eye-catching character "horse".
Tens of thousands of households in Chang'an City are closed, and the streets are in a bleak state, so no one dares to stay outside.
Ma Chao led his army to take over the camp in the city, and after all aspects were fully occupied, he came to the Chang'an Prefecture.
"Dog thief!"
Outside the main hall of Chang'an Prefecture, Jiang Wei, who was about ten years old, scolded Ma Chao who was walking towards him with a fierce look.
Xu Shu, who was following Ma Chao, quickly walked over, covered Jiang Wei's mouth and scolded him, then raised his head and said to Ma Chao: "Children's words are rude, please do not have the same knowledge as children."
Ma Chao naturally would not be angry with a child, so he turned a blind eye to Jiang Wei and walked into the hall.
Sitting in the main seat, Ma Chao immediately asked Xu Shu to summon all the wealthy businessmen in Chang'an City.
After the news spread, all the people from the Yizhou Chamber of Commerce, who runs the family business in Chang'an, could not refuse, and even recommended a representative to negotiate with Ma Chao.
Yes, they saw this as a negotiation.
But in Ma Chao's opinion, this was the first order he issued after conquering Chang'an, and there was no room for negotiation.
Zhen Yu suppressed the hatred in his heart and came to see Ma Chao.
"You are Guo Jia's in-laws, and you must be a smart person. I won't say much nonsense. I will not take any money and food from the people, but I want to recruit soldiers. You can tell all the merchants in Chang'an that I want to recruit 100,000 soldiers, and you will bear the money and food required."
Zhen Yu did not salute Ma Chao or say a word. He just left after listening to Ma Chao's words.
"General, please fulfill your previous promise. There must be no shortage of food and grass in Hangu Pass and Wu Pass."
Xu Shu bowed and his attitude was a little humble.
Only the northwest generals Pang De and Yang Qiu and others could hold their heads up in the hall, and other Chang'an officials bowed their heads and gritted their teeth.
Ma Chao looked at Xu Shu with his chin and asked: "How long can Zhang Liao and Yan Yan support the food and grass?"
Xu Shu replied truthfully: "One month."
Ma Chao nodded thoughtfully and said, "Then I will discuss it in a month."
"Ma Mengqi! You!"
Xu Shu suddenly looked up and looked at Ma Chao in shock.
An agreement was made outside the city that Zhang Liao and Yan Yan would defend the eastern gate of Guanzhong, which was temporarily peaceful with Ma Chao. In this way, Ma Chao did not face the crisis of Cao Wei. It should be the Taiping Army that compromised and compromised.
If both jade and stones are burned, Zhang Liao will return and both sides will be injured and the Cao Wei fishermen will benefit. Will Ma Chao not be worried about this?
But Ma Chao stood up and sneered at Xu Shu: "Yes, I regret it. Cao Pi dared to send troops to come, so I let him go without a return. Xu Shu, I really want to see if Guo Jia's Taiping Army is really undefeated to the people."
Xu Shu closed his eyes and suppressed his anger, and asked coldly: "My lord treats you well, why do you want to rebel?"
Ha ha ha ha
Ma Chao laughed wildly at the sky, his expression turned cold, and said, "He is not bad to me? He forced me to kneel in front of him and begged him to take him in! And Mi Fang, who was placed beside me, is this open and honest surveillance still not bad to me? Xu Shu, let me tell you, I just took back everything that should belong to my Ma family, and it should be my Ma family twenty years ago!"
Xu Shu sighed silently. Since Zhang led the way to resist Ma Chao resolutely, the atmosphere in the hall was suddenly tense.
Turning back, Xu Shu said bitterly to Zhang Ji and other officials: "Everyone, if you keep the people in mind, do your best to continue to do your work for the people."
Facing Ma Chao again, Xu Shu said coldly: "Ma Mengqi, the bottom line of our waiting period is very clear. If you dare to harm the people and fight for this life, I will not let you go."
Ma Chao put away the sword he had just drawn and said lightly: "You continue to be an official and manage the territory for me. What does Guo Jia give you? I will give you as much as possible. If you are fighting, it is not your duty, so don't worry."
"I hope you can keep your promise."
After Xu Shu said that, he turned around and left, and Zhang Ji and others also led the officials out.
Although they nominally surrendered to Ma Chao, after leaving, officials naturally had to discuss how to reverse the situation.
As the saying goes, a real man can bend and stretch, and he will be with Ma Chao for the time being, looking for an opportunity to give him a fatal blow.
This was destined to be a sleepless night. Zhen Yu brought Ma Chao's order to all the big merchants in Chang'an, just like thunder in the ground. All the big farmers in Chang'an could not sit still. Each family sent representatives to Zhen Yu's mansion and discussed secretly late at night.
There was a mess in the room, and everyone was quarreling, some criticizing Ma Chao, some complaining about Guo Jia, and some wanted to run away from the bedding...
Zhen Yu sat in the main seat and rubbed his temples, and the series of accidents made him feel overwhelmed.
Zhang Xu and Zhang Qin whispered around Zhen Yu, but they couldn't think of a countermeasure after a long discussion.
Escape? People escape, can land and wealth be taken away?
Ma Chao is really smart this time. Instead of exploiting the people, he has the idea of ​​the rich.
This is also a blessing for Guo Jia. The wealthy family is rich, but there are no farmers who have privately kept them, nor are they colluding with the official family. The wealthy family wants to rebel, but they can't afford to deceive the people.
If you don’t escape, you can only compromise.
In fact, Ma Chao wants to recruit 100,000 troops to let them pay for money and grain. With the strength of Chang'an, a merchant from all over the world, these money and grain can still be afforded together, but it is only in the early stage. If they really want to raise soldiers and train soldiers, they may not be able to support them by selling them at that time.
After all, recruiting soldiers is one thing, and subsequent expenditures are the key. To build iron equipment, the annual consumption of money and food is an astonishing expenditure. Guo Jia only managed to make the world's territory three times, so he could afford 400,000 soldiers.
"You have an idea, don't say anything."
Zhang Qin pushed Zhen Yu anxiously. At this moment, Zhen Yu was dizzy and could not think of a countermeasure.
Just when everyone was anxious, someone entered the mansion.
Everyone was shocked and finally breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the person coming was Xu Shu.
As soon as Xu Shu came, the scene suddenly became silent. Everyone looked at Xu Shu, hoping that Xu Shu could point them in the direction.
"Everyone, you agree to Ma Chao's request for the time being. All the money and food spent by each company will be established. We will compensate you as much as possible in the future."
After saying this, it was equivalent to giving everyone present a reassurance.
Everyone has come back and think about it.
Why do warlords have to harm the fish? They have been obedient for more than ten years and have not participated in those open and secret struggles. Why did Ma Chao be exploited first when he came?
It seems that Xu Shu, Guo Jia, can see the essence clearly.
Today, these wealthy families can bow their heads to Ma Chao. Guo Jia will compensate them all and try to avoid bloody conflicts.
Zhen Yu, Zhang Xu, and Zhang Qin, these three heavyweights in the Chamber of Commerce, felt relieved when they heard Xu Shu's words.
However, the situation in Guanzhong became unstable for a day, or if Guo Jia did not take military measures, it would still be difficult for them to have a stable sleep.
"Mr. Xu, how did the envoy plan to deal with Ma Chao?"
Zhang Qin did not avoid it and immediately asked Xu Shu.
Xu Shu couldn't answer this matter, so he avoided talking about it and expressed his second purpose for coming here.
"I'm not sure about it, I'll ask for something here."
"Yuanzhi, but it's okay."
Everyone expressed their support for Xu Shu, no matter what he asked for.
Xu Shu didn't say much, and said in a deep voice: "General Wenyuan and the veteran General Hebrew led their troops at Hangu Pass and Wu Pass. The total food and grass supply of the 100,000 army can only support one month. Please lend a helping hand and secretly transport food and grass to these two generals. Otherwise, our 100,000 soldiers of the Taiping Army will be defeated without attacking."
After hearing this, everyone immediately patted their chests and promised to agree.
However, Zhang Xu asked Xu Shu in confusion: "Since General Wenyuan and Veteran General Heber have 100,000 troops, why don't you come to solve the danger in Chang'an?"
Everyone looked at Xu Shu, puzzled.
Xu Shu shook his head bitterly and said, "Do you think it would be better for Cao Wei to capture Guanzhong than Ma Chao to capture Guanzhong?"
As soon as the words came to an end, everyone was silent.
It's hard to say.
No one can see through what political route Cao Wei would take after Cao Pi ascended the throne.
However, the barriers caused by regional differences in Guandong and Guanxi are not so easy to eliminate. If Guanzhong falls into the hands of Cao Wei, even if Cao Pi treats the rich well, he will inevitably be suppressed at the bottom of the pyramid of power.
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Chapter completed!